Greensboro Daily Photo

Anna Murphy: FOLK IT! Art & Craft

We met Anna Murphy at the Summer Solstice event this past Saturday. She is such a talented and creative potter and her work is so affordable. We actually asked her why she wasn't charging more for her work. She explained that she has low overhead since her studio and kiln are in her home. However, the even bigger reason is that she is a cardiac stenographer and she travels for her career. Soon, she will be on-site in New Mexico and she doesn't want to have all of this inventory stocked up while she is away.

Anna and her husband are originally from up north, but we are lucky enough to have them living in the Greensboro area now. Let's hope while she is in New Mexico that she doesn't fall in love with it too much. We want her back in Guilford County working in healthcare and creating her unique clay designs. She even makes jewelry! In the short time we talked to Anna, we could tell she is one of those people who can do just about anything they set their mind to doing. You can find her pottery on @folkitcrafts on Instagram and @folk_it-crafts or at [email protected]

Happy Wednesday!

Annie Klick Pottery

The Mud Buddies Pottery Show was held at Bur-Mil at the Park Event Center this past Sunday. The place was filled with fabulous pottery of over 20 local potters. There were artists there with all levels of expertise from full-time, professional artists,  pottery teachers, and students selling their wares. Featured above in Annie Klick, who organized the show. She is holding one of her mugs, one that was wood fired. The weather was perfect and people were eager to get out and enjoy the warm weather. There were lots of Easter-themed items as well as items that would look great  in Greensboro homes, mountain retreats, and beach houses. We bought a couple of gifts (including the mug in Annie's hand).  She had some great berry bowls.

If you missed the March event, there will be other opportunities, including the fall show of the Mud-buddies. You can find Annie on Facebook and Instagram. We have so many talented potters in Greensboro. Remember to buy local.

Happy Tuesday!

Keep It Local 2023

 

 

It may seem like we feature art a lot on GDP. Greensboro does have a lot of artists and it is such a fabulous way to keep our dollars local. You can buy original art, and develop a personal connection with the artist, for sometimes even less than the price of mass produced art. On fall weekends, Greensboro is brimming with activities. One event we love to visit is Leanne Pizio's "Keep It Local" Art Show in Oak Ridge right on Highway 150, just east of Oak Ridge Military Academy- 2409 Oak Ridge Road. It is happening tomorrow from 10am-3pm. Usually there is someone in costume out parking cars and Leanne' brightly painted truck. You can't miss it! The show will start at 10 am and end at 3pm. This is the 25th anniversary of this art show and at least 25 artists will be there selling. There is so much to see at this family friendly event where you can purchase your Christmas items early. The above photo is of Leanne at her last show, walking around visiting and checking on vendors. 

Also tomorrow, State Street will have a multi-vendor event that will begin at 12noon and end at 12 midnight. While shops will be closed in the evening, Bull City Ciderworks will be going strong until midnight and even rolling out a special cider for the event. The "Falling Together" Art Show will run from 1-4pm at 404 Sherrill Street. Wherever you decide to spend the day, we hope it is a great one. See you all tomorrow!

Happy Friday!

Guilford College: Student Humor

Sunday, walking around Guilford College, we stumbled upon their pottery kilns and some recently fired pottery.We got a big chuckle with the lovely pottery bust and the fact that someone snuck a bright red wig on it. We're not sure of the backstory, but so often these lighthearted pranks happen at the end of the semester. By that time, students have gotten to know each well and, in some cases, have built deep friendships. The scene reminds us all to see the humor all around us and to find opportunities to smile. Life can be so serious. Exam time and graduation are big steps in the life of college students. Here's to a great end to the semester for everyone.

Here is the schedule for higher education graduations for the Greensboro area. The graduation for Guilford College is May 13, 9 a.m. on the quadrangle lawn at the college. The keynote speaker will be Mandy Cohen, former secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. That should be an inspirational speech.

Happy Tuesday!

 

'Tis the Season, Indeed!

The above photo was taken at yesterday's "MADE 4 THE HOLIDAYS" Market at the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market on Yanceyville Street. The weather was cool, but sunny, and the event was well attended. It was so nice to see the market full of artists and crafters; actually, there were also vendors even vendors outside. Vendors able to return inside as renovations are now complete. One part of the renovation was the painting of the braces on the ceiling. The black paint not only looks nice, it is said to be more durable than the finish that had been there previously.

To the left, you see lights for sale at Gardner's Garden, perfect for outdoor, holiday decorating. The people who sell the 3' lighted stars were there (lights are attached to wooden sticks and can be used indoors or outside). The next Made 4 the Holidays event will be Sunday, December 4th from 11:00 am- 4:00 pm. In the meantime, there are shows popping up everywhere, from people's homes to church fellowship halls, to independent stores, to The Craftsmen's Christmas Classic Art & Craft Festival at the Greensboro Coliseum (November 25-27). There are about 6 weeks until Christmas. Please make every effort to shop local. The artist and crafters yesterday were all talking about how wonderful it felt to be back in person and interacting with their old customers and making new. They are ready for us! Head out and see that renovated farmers market.

Happy Monday!

The Good Witch

This past Saturday, Leanne Pizio hosted the "Keep It Local" art show. When Leanne hosts, you know you will have a good time. If you look HERE, you will see her attire as the host of the visual arts and crafts show on her Oak Ridge property. The show was very well attended and the selection of art was amazing. If you missed Leanne's show, there will be several other options to shop locally. A few of the shows we'll be attending include the Mimosa Holiday Home Show at 2103 Mimosa Drive on November 12th; the Made 4 the Holidays show at the Greensboro Curb Market on Yanceyville, November 13th; and Whimsical Women at Bailey Park in Winston-Salem on November 19th. If you know of other shows, please let us know and we'll try to advertise it for your and even attend. Also, remember that this Friday is First Friday in downtown Greensboro. 

Happy Tuesday!

Adam Wiley, Potter and Woodworker Extraordinaire

Yesterday, a very nice arts and craft show was held at Double Oaks Bed and Breakfast on North Mendenhall Street. The above photo features Adam Wiley, one of the featured artists. Adam, originally from Ohio, moved to Greensboro a few years ago to be part of the community of potters in the area. Adam, who attended Kent State University, is both a potter and a woodworker. Lately he has been combining these two talents by making pottery vessels and turning wooden lids to fit them perfectly. A few examples of this combined talent can be seen above.

We were lucky to meet Adam yesterday as he doesn't get to show his work in Greensboro very often. Adam is busy in his position as customer service representative at the STARworks Cermmics Supply Shop, about an hour south of Greensboro in Star, North Carolina. If you have never been to STARworks, please treat yourself to a visit. You can take classes, enjoy a cup of coffee or a beer in the coffee shop, listen to great live music, and maybe even stop by and say hi to Adam. Fortunately, Adam's wood and pottery vessels are available for purchase at STARworks. Adam calls these vessels KEEPS because you can keep special things in them. Contact Adam and see more of his great KEEPS on his website, www.craftedtokeep.com . Buy one of Adam's pieces for a gift and you can be sure the recipient will keep it for a very long time.

Moonbird Pottery

Greensboro has many great potters, several of whom hold semiannual shows on their property. Moonbird Pottery's owner opens up her Lindley Park back yard to a few other vendors twice a year. The above photo features people delighting in Christina Brown's latest pottery on the porch of her studio. If you missed this house sale, you will also have an opportunity to shop this Friday evening at Moonbird Pottery on Spring Garden Street, beside Spring Garden Bakery.

Even if you don't need any pottery (who doesn't need original, local pottery?), you owe it to yourself to attend this event. Christina just returned from Morocco and the theme of the store's event is Marrakesh. With all of the Moroccan items and inspiration, it will feel like an authentic "souk."  If you are really inspired, before Moonbird's event, you could go out to one of Greensboro many Middle Eastern restaurants and feel like you have left the country without leaving town. We hope you love Greensboro's great diversity and talented artists as much as we do.

Weekend of Visual and Performing Art

This weekend is a big weekend for art in Greensboro. One event is the Fall 2017 Keep it Local Art and Pottery Show at 2409 Oak Ridge Road, just off of Highway 150 and just east of Oak Ridge Military Academy. It will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There will be over twenty vendors, all work is original. At 11:00 and 2:00, where will be an Art Hunt. With six cans of food or $5.00, you can participate in this fundraiser for the One Step Further Food Bank. Many animals are usually on hand to entertain the young and young-at-art art enthusiasts. There should be a llama, donkeys, chickens, and dogs to liven the event. The above photo features three animals made by the very talented Leanne Pizio. Her most creative pieces usually sell very early in the day, but she will have great pottery available in her on-site studio all day. Finally, Keep it Local will feature live music.

Another event is at Steinberger Artist Center at 712 Summit Avenue from 2-5pm on Saturday. The event, called 17 senses is hosted by the art event known as 17 Days Greensboro. Denise Landi, Sally White, Lee Zacharias, Krystal Hart, and Gina Franco will be sharing their great art with visitors. As for as performing arts, there will be a blues music concert on Saturday night at the Van Dyke Performance Space in Greensboro at 8:00 p.m. Tickets for the concert are $15 and the visual art events are free.

Sunday is a big, day, too as the Biennial Jewish Festival will be held at Temple Emanuel at 1129 Jefferson Road from 11:00am - 5:00 pm. Music, artisans, sanctuary tours, food, and many other activities will be in full swing at the festival. You will even see Biblical figures will be on hand for photo opportunities, too. 

We hope you have an opportunity to get out and enjoy some or all of these great events.

 

Susan Ridenour, Potter

This past weekend, we ran in to Susan Ridenour at the 205 Gallery on Lyndon Street. It was the gallery's Second Saturday Open House and many artists were on hand to show visitors around and to offer their artwork for sale. Susan spent a lot of time explaining to us the details of her work; for example, how she molds the bowls,  in the foreground, to the shape of her hand; how strips that melt to reveal the specific temperatures at different parts of her kiln. (Pyro-metric pieces are in the back left corner of the table. They look like teeth of a tiger).

Professionally, Susan trained as a social worker. Raised in Raleigh, she came to Greensboro to attend Greensboro College. She received her degree, fell in love with the city, married, and has lived and worked here since. Knowing after her social work career that she wanted to nurture her artistic and creative side, Susan took pottery lessons. Her first lesson was memorable on so many levels, given the fact that it was on September 11, 2001.

Susan's pottery is lovely and her color scheme is very warm and neutral. If you are interested in purchasing a piece (or even renting space in her kiln if you are a potter), she can be reached at [email protected] or through the 205 Gallery.  Below, Susan's pottery is paired with Karen Bjork Dischell's painting and Sandy Dunaway's Pantone-color-of-the-year table. We want the whole display.  North Carolina has great veins of clay and Greensboro has great potters like Susan. 205 has great artists! What a wonderful combination.  Happy Monday!

Mad Platter

It is the day after Christmas and Hanukkah is in full swing. If you are looking for something to do out of the house this week, consider the Mad Platter where the family can enjoy time together and you don't have to worry about making a mess. The Mad Platter, located at 2921 Battleground Avenue, offers pottery painting and canvas painting. Both activities are fun for people of all ages! They even have those ceramic Christmas with the lights in them, if you want to start getting ready for next year's holidays. Actually, you could paint the tree blue and white and continue to use it throughout the winter. 

As seen in the above photo, guests are having a lot of fun. The studio has been open for nearly two decades. Before you know it, the children who grew up painting pottery there will be taking their own children. That is a lot of soap dishes, cookie jars, platters, mugs, cereal bowls, and set-abouts. The cereal bowls make especially fun memories.

Today Is Small Business Saturday

Small business Saturday is today. It is the day when consumers are to shop as much as possible at small, locally owned businesses. American Express is credited with starting the initiative back in 2009 when small businesses were still trying to survive the recession. * The initiative was successful and has contributed to the  "local-first" mindset that continues to grow today. In addition to helping businesses financially, nothing beats establishing relationships with local proprietors.

The above photo was taken at Moonbird Pottery, a new locally-owned store selling pottery, jewelry and free trade items. It is located at 1938 Spring Garden Street, in the building that was, in previous decades, Holliday Hardware. Local potter, Christina Brown, moved her pottery studio out of her Lindley Park backyard and into this venue. In the pottery studio side of the shop, she will feature pop-up stores, featuring local artists. The first special event will be Friday, December 8th. Click on the photos below to see see a larger picture of Christina and her artwork.

Whether you get by Moonbird Pottery or not today, remember to support our local Greensboro retailers!

 

* read the Washington Post article, here. 

The Day the Pottery Circus Came to Town

Friday was a special day at Irving Park Art & Frame on West Cornwallis Drive. The Leanne Pizio Pottery Circus came to town! Leanne and husband Will brought in circus-themed pottery pieces and the crowd was jubilant to be part of the ringside viewing at the show’s opening. In the above photo, Leanne and Will are standing in front of the pottery ringmaster who is overseeing the exhibit. Leanne’s talent and creativity were so apparent in the gallery filled with clay clowns, trapeze artists, animals balancing on striped pottery balls, and other original works of art. In addition to pottery, Leanne had collage pieces, linoleum cut prints, and painted pottery that mirrored her clay sculptures.

Within the first hour of the show, many of her pieces sold. Collectors love the way she spends almost as much time carving the underside of a piece as she does the top. Her labor-intensive, sgraffito carving technique is especially attractive on the circus collection. If you missed the opening event, the show will be at Irving Park Art and Frame until September 4th. You might not get to see above main characters, or be offered orange circus peanuts or bags of popcorn, but you will be able to purchase some fantastic pottery. Ringside seats are still available.

This was a super busy weekend in Greensboro and many events were held. This week's photos will feature a few of these events. Stay tuned!

Blueberries in Season!

Blueberries are in season in Greensboro. Not only are they plentiful in stores and at farmers' markets, there are also places you can go to pick them for yourself. It is so much fun to pick blueberries and the bushes are fairly hardy, perfect for the fingers of young and old alike. The above bowl of berries is from our yard. If you live in Greensboro, we encourage you to plant blueberry bushes as landscaping shrub. Edible landscaping is so much fun. And blueberries don't attract the bees and bugs like fruit. The leaves of the shrubs get a reddish cast in the fall. So, they really do look nice in a yard. Even if you can't grow blueberries, they are as reasonably priced as you will find them for the year; and, you can freeze them!

The mint in the above photo is also from our yard. You have to watch mint, as it can be invasive. We have it confined to a flowerbed (so far). With the heat over the past couple of weeks, the mint is trying really hard to go to seed! We also like eating off of local pottery. The above bowl is by Charlie Tefft, a local potter who teaches pottery at Guilford College. So, today's photo is 100% local and about to be 100% consumed; well, all but the bowl, of course!

Keeping It Local

This weekend, Leanne Pizio will be keeping it local by having local artists sell their art at Stealing Crow Farm at 2409 Oak Ridge Road. This event, held every fall and every spring, will feature 20 artists showing and selling art on a lovely pasture in northwest Guilford County. The above art was made by Leanne for shows that she held earlier in the year. However, this weekend, she'll offer equally inspiring pieces.

Leanne will also feature an art hunt where 6 canned goods will buy you the opportunity to hunt for art in a designated area. The canned goods will go to help fill a local food pantry- a win-win situation. If you get a chance, stop by this weekend and get some great art, pottery, and jewelry, created by local artists. Even if you don't buy anything, it is a great chance to meet some extremely creative people. Is it the weekend yet?

Greensboro (and Oak Ridge) Kept It Local

The above photo is a view of the Keep It Local event this last weekend. The arts and crafts spectacular, organized by local potter, Leanne Pizio, just keeps getting better and better every year. This past Saturday, booths lined the driveway. The weather was just perfect, the artwork was superb, and it was a fun way to spend the afternoon. Leanne thought of everything, right down to an art hunt to secure food for local food banks to having a port-a-potty (especially important to the young and old). The above photo is representative of what a fall event looks like not only on Stealing Crow Farm, but also in Greensboro this time of year.

There is so much happening locally in the fall, and it is hard to get around to everything. This past weekend we had a marathon.  If you missed the marathon this past weekend, you can still sign up (here) for the zombie run on November 9th in downtown Greensboro. Also, if you missed Leanne's event, you can find a lot of the vendors represented in the shops and galleries on South Elm Street. Also, Leanne will have another Keep It Local event in the spring. A

bove all, find SOMETHING you like and use it as an excuse to get out and enjoy our community.... or your own if you are not living around here. Here's to three more glorious days of October.

Window Shopping at Earthworks Pottery

Earthworks Pottery at 500 South Elm Street, formerly Elm Street Pottery, is owned by local potters: Molly Lithgo and Jim Rientjes. Molly and Jim make colorful pottery for everyday use, using very different techniques. If you collect pottery, likely you have seen the duo at the Yanceyville Farmer's Market. Possibly you stopped into their South Cedar Street Shop. In the store, Molly and Jim represent several North Carolina potters, artists, and crafters and are a big part of Greensboro's monthly, first Friday events. Earthworks Pottery is yet another example of people collaborating to support a brick and mortar business. With many people vested in a business, friends have a way of telling friends who tell friends, helping businesses stay solvent. Earthworks opened in one of downtown's 2-story brick buildings in April, 2012. Let's hope it is around for a very long time. The building has been around since 1895 and Earthworks is putting a good dent in the provenance.

This Christmas season, please consider balancing your online and big box store shopping with shopping in locally owned businesses. Nothing helps you feel more like part of a community than having people know your name and what you like to purchase. Somehow when a person recommends something to you because they know you, it is just a bit less invasive than when an internet popup add suggests an item!

Margot Robinson, Artist

Margot Robinson is one of the many talented artistes with a studio in the Creative Center. The Center is located at 900 16th Street, across the street from Buffalo Presbyterian Church, at the western tip of the Billy "Crash" Craddock Bridge. It brings together creative souls from all over the city and offers everything from yoga to Spanish to studio space. Margot shares a very large 3rd floor studio with Karen Dresser whose art quilts can be seen adorning the wall. Karen's abstract figures, as seen above, complement Margot's textured, pottery pieces.

Margot's sculptures are known as peaceful warriors and they are based on Japanese tomb sculptures. Her intent is for the sculptures to bring "a feeling of peace and joy" to their owner. She leaves the eyes hollow; they are the window to the soul. The ambiguous ethnicity of the peaceful warriors leaves much of the interpretation up to the owner. Some of the figures are reminiscent of little Russian grandmothers; others resemble Japanese figures from a different era. Margot shapes something ancient, yet contemporary into each of her clay figures.We met up with Margot (and Karen) last night at the Center, where she treated us to snacks and great conversation.  

Last night's Candlelight Studio Tour at the Creative Center was the perfect way to finish out a great, First Friday. With a drum circle and hula hoopers outside, and artists like Margot inside, we saw firsthand just how vibrant Greensboro's art scene has become.

Some Like It Cold....Camellias...Brrrrr

In Greensboro, the camellia bushes are in full bloom and we are thrilled that something so delicate and colorful thrives in this cold weather. The camellia bush is a small evergreen shrub native to Asia. Not only are the flowers delightful, the glossy leaves have a polished and waxed appearance. There are as many as 250 described species of camellia. In the proper environment, these acid loving plants can live for 100-500 years. Camellia sinensis is the most famous member because its leaves are harvested for tea. However, tea can be made with other species as well. While we haven't heard of any camellias being poisonous, talk to an expert before brewing tea from the camellias in your yard! Have you ever done so?

The little North-Carolina-pottery container above, with a metal frog inside, is perfect for bringing a few sprigs of nature inside. We try to keep it filled with something from the yard.

Of course today's title is a play on words for what some consider to be one of the greatest American comedy films of all time (Some Like it Hot). You might want to rent this old classic and watch it while you are trying to stay in from the cold! 

Aliens on Elm Street

Greensboro artists Leanne Pizio and Paige Cox have collaborated on an alien art show/sale. Leanne does the pottery and Paige is the fiber artist. Together, they have a fabulously creative collection for sale at Just Be in downtown Greensboro. This assemblage in the window is a small part of their work. Inside, you will find plates, prints, and more. Some creatures look haunting, others a little more Shrek-like. One of our favorite quotes from Leanne's alien- who has just arrived on earth- is, "It's not what I had hoped for." That can have meaning on so many levels. If an alien landed in your back yard, what do you think he/she/it would say?

Just Be-cause we can, we're sharing this post with James at Weekend Reflections. His meme seems just perfect for the weekend. Ponder, reflect, and get a little light bouncing back atcha. If you look closely, you can see the photographer's body attached to the alien head in the middle and the local comedy club, The Idiot Box, in the background.

Charlie Tefft Pottery

Accomplished local potter and Guilford College instructor Charlie Tefft makes functional art pottery that is inspired by the world around him. As seen in the photo above, most of his glazes are neutral, brown and blue. In the foreground is the brown and white wren pitcher. His pieces range from traditional to modern with an Asian feel. (See more on his website here. Keep up with him on Facebook here). To be sure, all of Charlie's work is extraordinary and reasonably priced. We caught up with Charlie at a recent pottery event at Yanceyville Farmers' Market. Charlie has also been very involved in the Ultimate (Frisbee) community. Artist, teacher, athlete, all around nice guy-- Greensboro is lucky to have people like Charile living here.

On November 20th and 21st, Charlie will have a pottery show and sale in his studio at 6303 Thornblade Court from 1-5 pm. Mark your calendar and head out to visit. It will be a great place to find a gift.

We share Charlie's pottery with our not only our local but also our international friends at the Ruby Tuesday meme.

'H' is for Helping Hands

Today is Wednesday, we're already half way through the week. Above, we see helping hands, already half way through making their clay pieces. The photo was taken at an event for children, held in downtown Greensboro at Center City Park, earlier in the summer. We think this was a booth sponsored by Art Quest, Greensboro's art center for children of all ages. The Art Quest Center boasts twelve engaging hands-on stations created by North Carolina artists.

Today is ABC Wednesday and "H" is for Helping Hands. Imagine what all of us could create with a little help from our friends!

 

Center City Park

This photo shows the best of Greensboro: Families enjoying an afternoon in the park with perfect weather and great entertainment. This scene, with the giant pottery vessels and the Cultural Arts Center in the background, is found at Center City Park. The 1.9 acre park, located in the center of the city, opened in 2006 and took four years to construct.

As stated on their website, "Center City Park is to serve as a central gathering place for Greensboro's residents and visitors in a setting that is both relaxed and lively." Relaxed and lively describes Center City Park perfectly! Whether events are planned or impromptu, weekends are fun and safe here! To us, this unaltered photo looks like a painting.

 

Ben L. Owen III Pottery

In the foreground, the iconic red pottery vessels were made by Ben L. Owen, III. The Owen Family is famous for this Chinese red glaze. The pottery in the background comes from Bulldog Studio, equally famous for its interesting glazes. Both pottery studios are located in the Seagrove Area about an hour south of Greensboro. If you ever have a chance to visit these potteries, the day trip is well worth your time. 

En route to the potteries, we were speechless when we stopped at this new rest stop in Randolph County. The rest stop,  with its sustainable energy design, is a work of art. Not only does it house a pottery museum, the green, energy-efficient rest stop uses all of the sustainable practices in today's market. In the current photo, you can see how the use of natural light enhances the building and exhibits maximally. The I-73/74 rest stop is  a worthy day trip destination on its own! Stop back tomorrow and we'll share another picture of the facility.

Of course we're using this photo for Ruby Tuesday!

 

Our Very, Very... RED CLAY

Most of us living in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina are all too familiar with red clay soil. In some cases, it serves us well. Since the late 18th century, local potters have been using red clay for earthenware pottery. Red clay is closer to the surface, but less sturdy, than its gray clay cousin. (explained here). Clay soil is famous for holding water, as in the puddle above! Additionally, its finely textured particles are packed with rich organic and inorganic materials. The down side is that clay doesn't drain very well and needs to be amended for planting. Fortunately, some plants like pyracantha, grape vines, and hosta actually thrive in red clay (explained here). Piedmont parents will tell you that if a child slips in red clay wearing white pants, you can just about forget getting the stain out! Red clay is such a staple in NC, we even have a band called The RED CLAY Ramblers! Enjoy this string band music their website! 

We're sharing this photo/puddle with our friends at Watery Wednesday!

 

South Elm Pottery & Gallery

With these hands, Jim Gutesll works his magic. From the window of South Elm Street Pottery & Gallery, we snapped this view of Jim mentoring a young girl into the art of throwing a vessel. His, the master's hands ever so steady and confident; hers, eager, yet tentative, this is apprenticeship at its best. Jim is sometimes known as the Godfather of pottery in Greensboro for founding the Triad Area Spring  Pottery Festival at the Yanceyville Farmers' Market. Jim works relentlessly to make people aware of the wonderful North Carolina pottery available "North of Seagrove."

If you can brave the snow this weekend, walk by by Jim's studio on South Elm Street, just south of the railroad tracks, and watch a great potter at work. Even better, stop in and buy LOCAL! Taking this photo through the window, for Weekly Reflections, was more fun than watching TV-- any day! Here's to you Jim!

 

On the 9th Day, SANTONS

For today's Sacred Sunday shot, on this 9th day of Christmas, instead of bringing you 9 ladies dancing, we take you inside the home of one of Greensboro's many Francophiles and share her creche from Provençe.  Our friend amassed this grand collection piece by piece during her many decades of traveling from Greensboro to France.

Santons are terra cotta figures depicting the nativity. The first representation of the nativity, albeit life sized, was by St. Francis of Assissi in 1223. However, the French Revolution, with its closing of churches and prohibiting of nativity scenes, popularized miniature nativity scenes made from terra cotta figures. The making of santons has been popular in Provençe since the late 1700's and is a family craft handed down through the generations. The figures represent actual villagers-- shepherds, millers, woodcutters, fish mongers, a blind man, the wise men-- all marveling at the birth of Christ, whose figure is depicted with wax.

Every Christmas, our friend in Sunset Hills brings her figurines down from the attic and intricately places them one by one recreating not only the nativity scene but also her memories of trips to France and her selecting the 2" figures, all crafted by santonnier, Marcel Carbonel. As we pen this post, Madame M's voice resounds, "Bonsoir Joseph, Marie, enfant Jésus, fermier.......Ça va, rabassier?......... et les Rois Mages........comment allez-vous ce soir?" 

Only after she makes sure that all 50+ figures are in place can she step outside and enjoy the hundreds and hundreds of Christmas light balls hurled into the canopy of mature trees lining her street.
 

Whoo Hoo Truck

We like to feature vehicles unique to Greensboro. Well, the Whoo-Hoo mobile is about as unique as it gets. Greensboro artist Leanne Pizio has decorated this truck to resemble her pottery. Likely, if you see the Whoo-hoo-mobile loaded up with boxes, Leanne is en route to a show. Stop Leanne right then and there and buy something. We've featured her before (but not this great vehicle) and here is her website. We love local talent and great vehicles; this post has both. If you are a "vehicle person" click here and take a quick scroll!

Let us know if there is a "must see" vehicle in YOUR neighborhood. We've always got our camera with us. Smile. If you're reading this, you survived another Friday the 13th! Stop by tomorrow for Sacred Sunday. Which house of worship will we feature next?

Liberty Antiques Festival II

Yesterday, we featured the people and ambience of the Liberty Antiques Festival held twice a year south of Greensboro. Today, we feature more of the wares. The above photo shows the fine pie safes, crocks, baskets, enamelware, pottery, etc. available at the Liberty Antiques Festival. Items of great quality, including American primitives, were readily available. No crafts or reproductions were permitted in this show! We plan to start saving now and returning with a truck this September 25th and 26th!

Art Quest

Here we see a picture of the clay corner at Artquest, the hands-on studio located in the Cultural Arts Building on Davie St. Artquest is just one of many facets of the Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art. Artquest is a fabulous studio where people can paint, weave, draw, make a collage, mold clay, and hone visual/spacial skills with twelve art stations designed by North Carolina artists. Additionally, Artquest is a great place to go for a field trip or for a birthday party. If you are looking for summer activities, they have reasonably-priced camps. Artquest is fun for children because it is so interactive and visually stimulating. It is fun for adults because you can dabble in art without being intimidated. It brings out the artist in everyone! Finally, the studio adjoins the Green Hill Gallery so you can saunter through the gallery, seeking inspiration from professional artists, before making a work of art yourself! Take advantage of a great community resource.

               

Leanne Pizio's Pottery

Leanne Blake Pizio is a local potter whose eclectic work can be seen in the photo above. Leanne sells her wares at most of the local pottery festivals as well as through the internet. This photo was taken on Sunday during the Pottery Festival at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market at 501 Yanceyville Street.

Leanne has perfected the sgraffito technique which involves coating pottery and scratching off parts to achieve an intricate design. Additionally, Leanne leaves no surface unadorned. The back side of her work is usually as intricately detailed as the front! Designs on her pottery include dreamy Alice-in-Wonderland like characters, rabbits, crows, owls. Currently, she is smitten with her 100 tall, "wonky" bottle project, two of which are in the upper right hand corner. If you want to learn more about her artistic process as well as how to order her pottery, you can contact her directly through her blog. We have always been impressed at how personable Leanne is with her customers.

   

North Carolina Pottery

If you live in Greensboro and have ever put a shovel to soil, you know that our landscape is filled with CLAY. Given its abundance, Greensboro is steeped in the tradition of throwing clay into vessels. We have several local potters and pottery studios. Additionally, Jugtown and Seagrove are located a little over an hour south of Greensboro. In the photo above, you see one of the red glazed pieces made famous in the murder mystery novel, Uncommon Clay, written by North Carolina writer, Margaret Maron. If you are committed to the "buy local" movement or want to give a gift that represents our region, you can't go wrong purchasing North Carolina pottery (or books about NC pottery!). We use ours every day!